After a last-minute withdrawal by a competing developer, Collier County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to push forward plans to sell 17 acres on Bayshore Drive in East Naples to Arno Inc. for a project that could transform the area.

Arno has proposed building up to 244 apartments and condos along with a new 1,000-seat theater and plaza of stores and restaurants. The project would include a walking path and bridge to Sugden Park.

The commission’s vote triggered a 30-day period in which the county will accept alternative proposals before any sale. Commissioners will use that time to continue vetting Arno’s proposal, making sure the project has enough financial backing and ironing out what will happen if funding can’t be found to build the theater.

The county has been trying to sell the site for years to a developer who would build an opera house and some mix of homes and stores.

The lot, which the county bought for $5.35 million in 2006 as part of its efforts to remove trailers and spark investment, backs up against Sugden Park on the eastern side of Bayshore Drive between Lunar Street and Jeepers Drive. It has been vacant and was appraised at $3.7 million last year.

The site received renewed interest in the fall when offers were made by two developers: Arno and Banroc Forge Development Group.

Both proposals include a theater and a mix of housing and shops. Commissioners and Bayshore redevelopment advisers had been split over the two plans.

The major differences between the two were:

Banroc asked to build the theater in Sugden Park, leaving more space for housing along Bayshore Drive, but Arno would build the theater on site.

Arno would offer units for rent, but Banroc would focus on owner-occupied housing.

Just hours before commissioners were set to decide between the two, Harry Bandinel, Banroc president, withdrew the offer.

With it clear that commissioners didn’t support putting the theater in Sugden Park, Bandinel said he couldn’t accomplish his vision for the project.

“I think the vision has been perverted,” he said. “It’s not what I wanted to do, and I will not be part of a project that’s not what it was intended to be.”

Arno de Villiers, president of Arno Inc., said he thinks the development will become the walkable center of the Bayshore community.

It’s still unclear whether the project will include the theater, which would cost an estimated $50 million to build.

The local nonprofit Cultural And Performing Arts Center is trying to raise the money to build the state-of-the-art theater, which would be home to Opera Naples.

Under an agreement between Arno and CAPA, Arno would donate the land for the theater if CAPA raises the money to construct it. Commissioners have asked Arno to finalize a timeline with CAPA to come up with the money.

If the theater is built, the development would include 175 market-rate apartments and condos selling for $300,000 or less.

If CAPA is unable to fund the theater in the stated timeline, Arno has proposed adding 69 apartments or condos, bringing the total to 244.

Arno would pay the county $3.5 million for the land. If the sale goes through in April, it would take an estimated two years to begin construction.

Karen Beatty, who lives in the area, urged commissioners to advance the project.

“We’ve waited long enough for this,” Beatty said. “We have a viable proposal in front of us. The mix of rentals and places for sale will be perfect, and we need the commercial and retail centers.”

Commissioner Donna Fiala said she was concerned that the housing units would be for rent.

“There’s already so much rental in that area,” Fiala said. “I suggest they don’t build housing but a thriving center for the whole area.”

Collier County Commissioner Andy Solis expressed concern about a mixed-use development with shops and apartments on the site.

“I’m concerned that it is too tight of a space to work,” Solis said. “But if the financing is there and people are willing to invest in it, I won’t second-guess it.”